Do you have any old trees on your land that you would like to bring back into production? Attend this workshop and learn to renovate and upkeep your heritage trees. Participants should dress appropriately and bring their pruners, loppers, saws and a bag lunch.

Organic and Sustainable Agriculture News

Soup to Nuts: Get real – maple syrup, that isPortland Press Herald - 3/21/2012.by Meredith Goad. Besides its undeniable deliciousness, maple syrup – the genuine article, that is – has all kinds of good things going on, including a boatload of antioxidants.

Garden activities for young childrenThe Washington Post - 3/21/2012.By Barbara Damrosch – If the view from our farm is any sign, young Americans are heading to the country in droves to grow food. They find the land, buy the pickup and build the barn, and then they have ... children. And that’s when things get complicated. You can’t hop on a tractor and bring your toddler along.

Despite the headlines, Big Ag subsidies aren’t going anywhereGrist - 3/20/2012.by Twilight Greenaway. The “era of direct payments is over for farmers,” reports Bloomberg Businessweek. “Farm subsidies could finally be on the chopping block,” says this recent article in the Baltimore Sun. Meanwhile the president of the ultra-conservative American Farm Bureau Federation was even quoted recently saying, “the public will no longer support direct payments to farmers.”

Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., hosted by Coastal Enterprises Inc., 30 Federal St., Brunswick, Maine. Full-day workshop designed to help established and beginning farmers understand the financials of their business and learn how to make informed decisions to increase profits. Instructor Julia Shanks is the author of "The Farmer's Office: Tools, Tips and Templates to Successfully Manage a Growing Farm Business." $100 per person; $135 for two people coming from the same farm. Scholarships available. Information and registration.

Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., MOFGA's Common Ground Education Center, Unity. There is no place more important to get off to a good start than growing seedlings for your farm. The program at Spring Growth this year will help you evaluate your production with topics from how to set up the production equipment (benches, containers, etc.), evaluate your soil mix, keep up the plant nutrition and avoid problems. Hear from farmers and service providers including Ann Mefferd, Alicyn Smart, Bruce Hoskins and Stephanie Burnett. Information. Fee: $75 for individuals, $100 for couples. Lunch is included. Registration

Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., MOFGA's Common Ground Education Center, Unity. To help develop or refine a labor model that works for your farm, we invite you to join a diverse group of farmers for a day of 'participatory professional development' to explore labor management models used on Maine farms today. Please contact Ryan at rdennett@mofga.org with any questions.